Trinian Ironfoot
Trinian Ironfoot is a wandering mercenary from a far off land which she calls Tamriel. Her travels have now brought her to Lancerus, accompanied by a wolf known as Wraith. If asked directly, she'll say that she's come to Lancerus on business for the Winter Court, but won't often share more than that. She identifies herself as an Orc, despite her father being a human, as her people consider children of two races to be the same race as their mother was. Though she has the tusks and pointed ears of the Orcs, the lighter pink hue of her father's people almost entirely eclipses the green-grey typical of Orcs. Background Trinian is the child of a human man and an orc woman, raised by the forge-wive and community of an Orcish stronghold after her mother’s death. There she grew up training as a smith and a fighter, earning the name “Ironfoot” from her habit of going barefoot while hunting in order to move more quietly through the crags and forests surrounding the stronghold. She brought home her first sabre cat at the age of nine, continuing to hunt the creatures as she grew, making strings of their teeth that she hung above her bed. At 17 Trinian left the stronghold, and eventually joined the roster of the fighting arenas, keeping the moniker of Ironfoot, and working her way up as a fan favorite across the empire of Tamriel. During this time she met an officer of the imperial army, and the two eventually began a romance. Shortly after their engagement however, the officer’s rivals arranged to have him killed, and Trinian framed for it. Unable to prove her innocence, Trinian was put in a prison in the imperial capitol, where she met a strange old man, who seemed particularly interested in her stories about her life. After nearly a year of being in the prison the empire offers her release, provided that she assists in bringing down a threat to the empire that is brewing on one of the remote islands to the east. She agrees, simply looking for any chance at a pardon and an opportunity to fight again, and through a magical misfire on her quest (which could have easily killed her instead), she becomes immune to the effects of age and disease, essentially becoming immortal, provided she keeps herself from serious injury. When she finally returns to her home region, she sees again the old man she met in the jail, who reveals himself to be the fae king Oakheart in disguise. He confesses to orchestrating her release, because he felt the world got too boring without her out and about in it. Because of the nature of his deals though, Trinian is now in Oakheart’s debt and he is in possession of her soul. Upon revealing this he offers her a choice; stay in her home world, but come and fight for him when summoned, or come with him, become one of his officers and have the freedom to wander as she chooses. Sensing an opportunity to protect her home, Trinian agrees to follow Oakheart on a simple condition; that the fae and all their kind are banished from Tamriel forever. He hesitates, reminding her that this condition will now include herself, before conceding and shutting all of the fae out from Tamriel. Now cut off completely from her home and family, Trinian wanders between nations, realms and planes, recruiting for Oakheart’s armies and seeking a way to win back her soul and return to Tamriel. Additional alliances * House of Leather and Steel * Beer Family * Eastern Uruk Hai * Imperial Guard Aliases * Trinian gra-Dushnikh (her formal name amongst her people, identifying the Orc stronghold she grew up in) * Stormwalker * Dragonrider * Moon-and-star * Little-shit * Half-Orc (among "foreigners" who consider her mixed parentage to make her "half" rather than following the maternal line) Lore 21st Hearthfire (September); the Reach, Tamriel The road to Dushnikh Yal is not a place for the faint of heart. It’s a rugged path, with difficult weather and constant threat of attack from animals or the savage Forsworn. The lone orc who travels it now knows this well, but it’s clear the red and black wrapped spear she holds is serving her more as a walking stick than as a weapon. She’s dying, and she knows it. Dushnikh, if she can reach it, is her last hope. She wraps her cloak tighter around her, keeping her free arm around the bundle strapped to her front, and prays that she’ll make it. She thinks she can hear the sounds of the stronghold’s mine and forge, but the mountains play tricks on the mind, especially towards the end. She presses onward; she has no other options. It’s near mid-day when she sights the gate, and stumbles into the courtyard, sinking to her knees. “Your forge-wive,” she asks the gathering crowd, “Where is your forge-wive?” An older orc steps forward, her clothes and skin covered in the dust and grease of the forges, as the traveller removes the bundle from her chest, holding it out. It’s a child, a girl, not even a half-year yet. “Trinian,” she says, breathing heavily. “Her name is Trinian. Her father is a Nord. A jarl. If she… If they knew…” she shakes her head. “She must be kept secret. She must be raised as a warrior.” The forge-wive nods solemnly, taking the child into her arms as the Chieftain and heart-wive come to her side. “And she shall be.” The traveller stands, passing her spear to the others as she does. “Then I am ready to face my death,” she says, drawing her sword from her hip. “Northwest. Over the ridge, near the river. There’s a troll that makes his den near there,” the Chieftain tells her. “Then you will know where to find me,” she says. She pauses, cradling her daughter’s face one last time and kissing the top of her head, before turning and walking out to meet her doom. The Field of Bones, November of 1018 "What have you done?!" Trinian flung open the door to the room, storming towards Oakheart with a fury only an orc could manage. "You've jeopardized everything I've worked for! I gave my word to the Bloodmoons that we would fight for them." She paced frantically, fighting to keep herself from striking out at him. "And now, now! Nearly two weeks later, I find out that you reneged on that agreement. You turned on our allies - on our queen's family! - to fight with the Nightthornes, for....what? For personal gain? You are unbelievable." Oakheart studied her calmly. "Are you quite finished, darling?" he asked. Taking her grim silence as an answer, he continued. "You're right, I did fight for the Nightthornes. You gave your word to the Bloodmoons, you were unable to be there, you fought for neither. Your word, my queen, has not been broken. You and Tirah will be more than capable of keeping our alliance with her family, and you will let me worry about the Nightthornes." Trinian shook her head. "You're infuriating. Some day... some day I'm going to kill you. For now though, you're fortunate that you're right. Tirah and I will maintain this alliance, and we'll do it with or without your help." She turned and marched to the door. "I ride for the Aviary. Don't wait up for me." Category:Biographies